Angel's Advocate (Beaufort & Company, #2) in SOS: Serious Overload of Series

Apr 10, 2010 The Flooze rated it liked it

Shelves: mystery, vanquished_2010, urban-fantasy-paranormal, glutton_for_punishment

I can't decide whether I like this series. The concept of Celestial Courts and a lawyer tasked with reducing the afterlife sentences of sinners is an interesting one. The dead contact Bree with cryptic messages. From there, she investigates their murders and also finds the mitigating circumstances that should lessen their time in purgatory or free them from the clutches of Hell. It holds a good deal of promise.

Unfortunately, I still haven't taken to Bree. Her vicious temper makes it difficult to I can't decide whether I like this series. The concept of Celestial Courts and a lawyer tasked with reducing the afterlife sentences of sinners is an interesting one. The dead contact Bree with cryptic messages. From there, she investigates their murders and also finds the mitigating circumstances that should lessen their time in purgatory or free them from the clutches of Hell. It holds a good deal of promise.

Unfortunately, I still haven't taken to Bree. Her vicious temper makes it difficult to see her succeeding in any of her current roles: earthly lawyer, investigator, or celestial advocate. She lacks the patience to gain the trust of those she interviews, and she's very quick to take offense. She usually has a reason to be miffed, but I fail to see how constantly displaying her ire is advantageous. I wouldn't be able to take her seriously for long, and I can see why Detective Hunter is so frequently exasperated with her.

Bree's lack of finesse also doesn't help when it comes to evaluating clues. There were several staring her in the face from early on, but she was too riled up about her offended sensibilities to logic them out until the end of the story. Since these clues were provided by her "spirited" client, I don't understand why they didn't warrant immediate research compared to chatting with her earthly client's friends. Yes, both aspects were necessary to solve the case. However, everything would've been much clearer had she concentrated on these hints first.

Stanton strives to make Savannah and its environs a part of the story; frankly, she's working too hard at it. Instead of making the city come alive, her varied architectural descriptions only slow down the flow of the narrative. It's one thing to make me understand which homes are richly appointed and which are of a lower echelon. It's quite another to describe everything down to the type of flooring in the foyer. My eyes glazed over during these passages as I begged for the action to start up again.

The mystery itself was resolved suddenly, and not through any talent of Bree's. She has a way of tumbling into danger and tripping over the answers--a plot device that irks me. Why plant clues throughout the text if the heroine is just going to stumble blindly into the solution?

The overarching theme of a malevolent force gunning for Bree would be far more intriguing were it explained with as much detail as her client's decor. Bree is kept in the dark about most aspects of the system she's working within and it's frustrating. Her excuse of being too well-mannered to ask in-depth questions is tiring. If some nasty, greasy, foul spirit was banging down my door, I'd certainly demand some information! The excuse that her helpers are not allowed to do anything but guard her and nudge her in the right direction is all well and good, but I think the girl should be more insistent about learning what she's up against. She has an entire library of reference material concerning this new career and I don't think she's cracked a single tome. In short, I don't like it when heroines allow themselves to be swept up in the tide, flailing and floundering their way clear. Willful ignorance is not a virtue.

I own the next book in the series so I will certainly read it. For me to continue past that, I'd better see some thrilling action and shocking discoveries in Avenging Angels. ...more

8 likes · Like · see review